Rail joint



Dec. 8 1925- 1.564.544

c. E. ELLIOTT RAIL JOINT Filed May 11, 1925 fig: 2.

/ 7 i Z X I I mil I I H I i GI. fZZzbZZI' Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

tl t'l tilfi STATE CHARLES ELVIN ELLIOT'I, F WELLSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA.

RAIL JOINT.

Application fiIed. May 11, 1825. Serial No. 29,440.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES ELviN ELLI- o'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at l'Vellsburg, in the county of Brooke and titate ot l Vest Virginia, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in a Rail Joint, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved rail joint, and it has particular reference to a structure which has been designed especially to obviate the necessity of employing bolts.

Briefly, the invention comprises a novel rail chair, in which the webs of abutting rails are seated, there being novel coacting means between the webs and the side walls of the chair for affording a good joint which is maintained simply by the use of the ordinary spikes.

The advantage and e'tliciency of a structure of this kind will become more readily apparent from the following description and dr a win In the accon'ipanying drawing forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a side view showing a portion of a rail road track wherein the improved joint structure is incorporated, but practi- (-ally concealed.

Figure 2 is a view showing one-half of the rail chair removed to disclose the specific construction of the joint.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one end of a rail as modified to render it usable in the improved chair.

Figure is a detail perspective view of the chair.

In the drawing, the reference character 1 is employed to designate the improved rail chair. By directing attention more particularly to l igure l, it will be seen that this chair con'iprises a pair of spaced parallel side plates 2, corresponding to the ordinary lish plates, there being outwardly extending base flanges 3, at the bottoms thereof. These flanges are shaped to accommodate rail spikes a. In the present instance the plates 2 are spaced apart a distance to receive the webs of the cooperating rails 5, and they are maintained in this relation by a plurality of longitudinally spaced cross pieces 6 acting as bridges. These bridges are of a cross sectional shape .and area indicated in Figure 2, it being noted that they are disposed between the upper and lower edges of the side plates 2.

Each rail being of the same construction, a description of one will suttice for both. To this end it will be seen that the rail comprises the usual head or ball 7, a web 8 and a base flange 9. In this connection it will be not-iced that the base flange terminates in inwardly spaced relation from the free end of the ball, thus allowing the web to project beyond it. The web is fashioned to provide a depending locking tongue 10 adjacent its free end, this tongue being provided with oppositely extending retaining lugs 11. The web is also provided with a supplemental lug 12 cooperating with the first named lugs. At this time, attention is directed to the fact that the bridges 6 are spaced apart distances which allow the passage of the lugs 11 and 12 between them so that the lugs may assume the cooperative relation indicated in Figure 2.

In practice, the rail chair is placed upon the adjacent ties and spans the space therebetween as clearly illustrated in the drawings, the abutting end sections of the rails are then dropped down into the chair between the vertical side plates either simultaneously or successively. It is of course understood that when the rail sections are disposed within the chair, the depending tongues and the laterally extending lugs formed on the lower ends thereof will move vertically between the spaced bridges 6. After the rail sections have been lowered into the chair so that the upper edges of the laterally extending lugs are dispose-d below the bottom faces of the bridges, the chair is then moved bodily across the ties toward the left hand direction and this will cause the bridges to be brought into engagement with certain of the laterally extending lugs 11 and 12 respectively. In this manner, the abutting end sections of the rails will be anchored in the rail chair and the position of the parts when in their locked relation is clearly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing. It will thus be impossible for the rail sections to be raised upwardly out of the rail chair. Now the chair is spiked in place, and a spike is located between the flanges 9 and 3 at the right as indicated in Figure 1 to maintain the last named rail section in a set position. It is thus obvious that with this arrangement it is impossible for the rail end to be pulled out of thechair, and a sturdy and positive jointis provided, the same obviating the necessity of employing bolts and nuts as is ordinarily necessary.

It is thought that by considering the'de-" scription in connection with the drawings,

persons familiar with structuresof this class will be able to obtain a clear understanding of t11eim+e1inm1.- Therefore; a morelengthy deseriptioir'is thought unnecessary.

While the preferred embodimentot the inventioirhasbeen shown and described, it

is to be understood that m inor changes"coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorte'chto if desired.

Hahingthus described the inventiong what wherebylaterally disposed locking said locking lugs being slidably cooperative :10

with the aforementioned bridges to detachany secure the rail sections in said chair.

2111 a ail joint of the class d scribed, a rail chair comprising spaced parallel vertiealsideplates'provided with outwardl extending base flanges, longitudinally spaced connecting bridges between the plates, said bridges being spaced from the upper and loweredges respcctivel oil the plates, a pair oit'complementarj rail section's having extended web and ball portions, the extended websbeing-provided with cut out portions are formed, the space between the h In 3 adapted to acconnnodate the 'ln'idges when the frail sections are placed downwardh within the rail chair, saiddaterally extend- Qlocking lugs being adapted "i or slidable en agementwith the'bottoni faces o't certain ofsaid bridges whereby the rail sec- 50 tions are locked "against vertical movement withinthe rail c hair.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

( UnRLES ELVIN ELLIOTT. 

